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Product Description:

Men's NEW BALANCE® FRESH FOAM 980 :: You're gonna be psyched on this brand new New Balance® running shoe that offers natural running with unnaturally good cushioning, the Men's Fresh Foam 980. Experience that full-ground contact you crave with this shoe's 4mm heel drop, while running protected in the soft, supportive foam that provides you with cushioning equal to, or better than, that of premium neutral category shoes. Your feet will also be held securely and comfortably in place compliments of the Fresh Foam's no-sew upper, and you can count on these babies to last you for the long-haul thanks to their excellent durability. 8.8 ounces

Nice and soft and flexible, without much heel clutching - which is good, because I find heel clutching with a firm heel tab in the back of the shoe to be terribly stressful on the Achilles tendon. The only way it could be better is with less heel clutching - but there really isn't as much as with most other shoes.

I purchased the NB980s after wearing out my Hoka One Bondis. I've run in Ascis, Saucony, Nike, in addition to the Hokas; and these are the only running shoes that I can wear without an after-market insole. The minimalist nature of this shoes seems to allow my foot to work more naturally. It took a few 5K runs to break them in, but once they were, they are flexible and provide great cushioning. This is my new favorite shoes, and just order a second pair so I can begin rotating them.

I just completed my 187th marathon so i do run a lot. I rotate my shoes religiously and run in 6 different shoes throughout the week. I hope to get 350 miles out of a shoe, but this one offered almost no cushion after 100 miles. I only use it if I am running on a treadmill or am doing a gym workout.

I bought this shoe a few months ago for my first marathon. I had been running in Nike Free 5.0s, which are great but I found on longer runs (5+) to lack enough cushion. I purchased this shoe in hopes that it would have close to the same flexibility as the Free, be light weight, and provide more cushion. I can say it has delivered and I will be buying another pair before my run in January.

Only issue with this shoe is the mesh on top wears out pretty fast. Big toes seem to wear it out quickly. They should add a small extra piece of material across the front / top of the foot and it would be a perfect shoe

I'm a 70 year old runner/tennis player with a wide toe span who also works out for strength regularly. The 980s not only fit the bill for comfort on and off the tennis court, but also have very good traction. I've been playing tennis (5 times a week)and running with them since they became available months ago. Of course the soles are not as durable as regular tennis shoes, but their lightweight permit me to move so much faster than previously without foot problems. I wear comfortable ankle supports under them to add more stability when playing tennis. I now own 4 pair in some great colors. Love 'em.

I have had awful problems with forefoot and 1st Metatarsal pain while wearing Nike free 3.0. I like the flexibility, low drop, and fast ride of the Free's, just needed more forefoot support and unilateral (left foot) pronation control. The foam 980's fit the bill so far. Great training shoe. I use the in-store custom orthotics and have been extremely happy with them! Not sure if this is an ideal race shoe, but great for training.

I run on asphalt and concrete tiles, having no alternatives around.I used minimalistic shoes for a while, but I was looking for more absorption, with the same minimalistic feeling.The 980 are not quite so. They absorb impacts but they lack of the flexibility I was used to.There is room for improvement in future versions, like the tongue: unreasonably too bulky.I have the wider size (2E), but they are still on the narrow side, far from the wide toe box I was used in minimalistic shoes.

Considering pros and cons, I will most likely keep those shoes, even if I'm not fully sold.

I was wearing the Kinvaras for a while. Loved the glove like fit but my feet couldn't take a lot of mileage in them. Too thin. The 980 is a great alternative for me. They weigh more but still feels light enough and the trade off for the extra cushioning is worth it. They are still flexible enough and I love the new laces.

These NB Fresh Foam 980's have turned out to be the perfect running shoes! I haven't ran consistently in about 3 years and in that time, I never went greater than 1.5 miles at a leisurely 11:30 pace. 1st run in these, I went for 2:25 miles at a 10:15 pace and the next day I went for 3 miles at a 10:15 pace. I'm 6'2", 215 lbs, and these shoes were like a Godsend! These might not be for everyone, but they sure are perfect for me...so much so, that I'm ordering a 2nd pair to rotate them!

I run 30 miles a week and I am currently working on my speed and hill running. I bought these shoes a week after my first marathon and ran five miles much faster than I have in a while. They feel great and I am going to buy tow more pair to rotate with the first pair. This will mean retiring my mizunos and my brooks. It is well worth it.

I've been wearing NB 890s since v2, but the most recent update seems to be too tight in the toe box. I found myself with a shoe full of blood after every long run. Not fun! But otherwise I love the 890s, so I was looking for something very similar with a bit more width in the toe. I tried on a dozen different pairs from different brands but this felt the most similar to the 890 to me. I broke these in on an 18 mile run today and they were fantastic. Even better than the 890. They feel even lighter, and a bit more flexible. I would not call these overly cushioned, but they are a bit softer than the 890s. Very happy with these so far.

I've been a faithful Ascics and Mizuno running shoe wearer for over a decade. I took part in the shoe dog in store eval and these were recommended. Very pleased so far. I've been plagued with eight knee pain due to muscle to muscle Imbalance after back to back 1/2 Marathons 2 years ago. My first run with these shoe felt great and I ran 20 min straight for the first time in 2 years, pain free.

I really wanted to like the 980 Fresh Foam. My go-to shoe is the NB 890v4, which I have used for a HM and 15k recently, and is comfortable, cushioned and light. I used the 980s exclusively for 25 miles to give them a good trial. My conclusion is that the 980s are surprisingly stiff and seem a half size too small. The good news is that I achieved my fastest times with the 980s, but the bad news is that I experienced pain in my knees, which I never felt before, and soreness in my hips. So, sadly, I am going to remove the 980s from my rotation for now.

The NB Foam is simply a great shoe. I was using the NB 890 (V3 & V4) for the last year but the ride on the Foam is much softer. The shoe is very light and responsive. As soon as I reached 150 miles on them I called a few friends and recommended they buy a pair.

Really like these shoes. I was running in a pair of NB 890 v3, but these were wearing down and I decided on the 980's. I was experiencing pain in my knees with the older shoes, but since running with the 980's the pain disappeared, and my pace has increased by almost 9 seconds. Good styling, Only drawback is that I wished that New Balance would have made these in the USA.

By far, the most comfortable pair of athletic shoes I have ever put on my feet. I have high arches, heel spurs, and a bad back. Years ago I was a 20-25 mile a week guy, but had basically quit running. I switched to biking and lifting weights. These shoes have me back on the road.

Love it. Don't buy it if you think you are getting the hoka version of a NB. This is a low drop neutral shoe, lightweight, with good fit and not "squishy". Cushioning doesn't feel too soft to me - I'd call it semi-soft to semi-firm. Unlike other NBs, they fit well in the toebox - not too cramped. The only issue is that the laces loosen up a bit and do better double knotted for me.

Very happy with these shoes, I ran for a year in minimus 0 drop and felt I needed more as my distance increases, the 980 foam is great, low drop but not a lot and great cushion. Very breathable so it took a little to adjust to cold feet early in my run but not an issue.

Just purchased 2 pairs of the new balance fresh foam 980. This is the first time that I have tried new balance and I am glad that I did. Just completed a 3 mile run and my legs and feet feel great. The foam cushioning is great and they have support for being light as a feather. I am 6ft 2 inches tall a weight 178 pounds and they handle my size and weight without a problem. I highly recommend .

I am a heel striker. I wanted to try something with a lower drop than my Nimbus, but I need cushioning for my back and knees. I had hoped these would do the trick, but I found the cushioning lacking when trying them out on a treadmill. Although they are light, these were just not comfortable for me. Perhaps if I had worked a bit on transitioning to mid-foot they would have been better, but it didn't seem to work for me. I returned them.

I tried these shoes along with some of the other new cushioned, low drop shoes coming into the market. New Balance did a great job with keeping these shoes very lightweight. The toe box was a bit narrow for my foot though.

Watch the Men's New Balance Fresh Foam 980 Video!

Hi there, my name is Robbie and I?m your personal fit expert here at Road Runner Sports. I?ve run three full triathalons and I?ve helped thousands of customers like your find their perfect fit. You can depend on me to tell you everything you need to know about the Men?s New Balance FreshFoam 980. Let?s take a closer look. Feel like your wearing a sock with the simple and super comfortable no sew upper and feel your stride become as smooth as a Cadillac with the full length blown rubber outsole. What you?ll really love about this shoe is the new FreshFoam midsole. Get that super natural, confident underfoot feel, but with the plush cushioning and softeness you?ve always wanted and prevent injuries with a natural 4mm heel to toe drop. You?ll smile as soon as you melt into this super light, super comfortable superstar of a shoe. And that?s why you?ll want to try the Men?s New Balance FreshFoam 980. You can actually run in these shoes for 90 days and if you don?t like them, just send them back! So click add to cart above and we?ll have these out the door in less than two hours! I?m Robbie, and I?ll see you on the road, maybe in your new pair of Men?s New Balance FreshFoam 980!

Men's New Balance FreshFoam 980 Video Description:

You have to see the Men's New Balance FreshFoam 980 in action! Watch the video, and take advantage of Robbie's expert knowledge as he shows you everything you need to know about the Men's New Balance FreshFoam 980, including how you'll love the no sew upper, the full contact you'll get with the blown rubber outsole, the super cushioned FreshFoam midsole and the barefoot-like 4mm heel to toe drop.

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